The Last Rose
by Namelessafterall
Summary: Summer Rose had died on her last mission. Or at least that was what they all had agreed on. None could hope to comprehend it possible that she has been in another world all along in the form of another person. Well now it's time for her to return to Remnant and play her part.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Disclaimer, I do not own either Naruto, or RWBY

 **Warning:** **May contain OCs, OOCness, AU and other applicable nonsense**

 **Note** : This has been plaguing my mind for a while now, and the concept is something that I have done already in my other story, Pandora's Box, so I thought after not making any chapters in a while, why not? Was done mostly because I was bored… yeah…

 **On with the story**

* * *

Have you ever felt something strange with life?

As if all the worlds and the endless variable in life was naught but another cleverly fabricated story, written by another writer and designated for a different protagonist.

To one Naruto Uzumaki, this was, more often than not the case.

Granted he may or may not have been as eloquent as to describe his woes as in the matter written, it is doubtful that what he felt was any different. You see, it was always something that has irked him ever since he was capable of independent thought and recognition of self.

He has always felt as certain sense of unease with the world around him. Of course being born and raised in a ninja village made matters not much better, it only made his paranoia and discomfort that much worse. Especially one that is filled with people with their hateful stares and whispers

But he wouldn't be where he was now if he always thought like that.

He raised himself from the scared and lonely child, into the orange wearing, ninja that took names and kicked ass like it was no one's business. And it was thanks to his precious people that he can do the things he can do.

Old man Hokage, Iruka, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke.

He could go on and on with that list. He had so many people by his side, helping him become who the person he was today. Granted Sasuke, the bastard, wasn't there physically, he existed as a motivation to never give up, to always keep pushing no matter what.

When he fought in the fourth shinobi war, he changed things forever. Him and Sasuke.

There was no power on earth that could match them. Much like Madara and Hashirama in their prime, they were leagues ahead the normal populace. And in realisation of this came very many consequences. Peace was a negotiable thing, things must come and go, and power must be equalised.

This was why the two greatest powers to currently exist were sealed away by their respective owners. Never to be used again, that is unless the peace treaty were to be deemed null.

And it was in that time of peace that he began to feel the same sensations of unrest.

With peace brings stagnation, especially when he had reached the prime of his strength years ago. And with the unrest and the unease, brought back the nightmares and the visions.

He saw an endless stream of monsters. Monsters without souls, monsters of black and white.

He was surrounded by them, the field of white roses he stood on, bloodied. Not by the creature's blood—they had no blood—but by his own.

His strikes brought down monster after monster. An unseen weapon striking flesh and bone with ease. Tearing limbs and dispersing the creatures into black mist. But no matter how many he cut down, another took its place.

He would wake in fevered sweat every time. The nights brought nightmares that brought more questions than answers.

* * *

He dreamed he was in a small house. It wasn't an especially extravagant house mind you. Not that he could actually tell since he was inside, but something told him, almost as if he could feel it. The room he was in, with a large bed and a large window just across, invoked feelings of security and warmth.

A table by the side of the bed drew his attention. Filled with weaponry of various types, some he doesn't even recognise and some he doubted he knew how to work. The various machinery on the table exuded the smell of oil and rust.

Shades of red filled the room. The bed, the sheets, the curtains on the windows and even the walls. All a different shade of red. And the smell of roses and motor oil. All so very familiar yet he could not tell why.

Home.

This was what his heart told him, and deep down he could not deny his heart's claim.

Something glinted in the corner of his eye.

As he turned to face it, the last things he saw before waking from his slumber was a pair of silver eyes staring back at him from the mirror.

* * *

Naruto wondered through the Forest of Death. It was the only thing that warded the nightmares. Of course it did not always work, but it worked enough times.

And it always led him to the very same location.

The largest tree that he had ever seen stood proudly there. It pulsed with more natural energy than anything else in the forest. Much like mount Myōboku, it called out to him, as it would any sage. The energy the pulsed from that place was simply too potent to ignore.

Ignoring the various wildlife that wanted to consume him, he made a beeline for said tree. The moon shining brightly, as he escaped from his troubled sleep and jumped branch to branch at breakneck speeds.

The cool night air made him feel at ease. The familiar sensations of wind hitting his face, something that he can control in his own way.

As he landed on a branch of the tree, a part of himself was still surprised at how big it was. The natural energy was so profuse in this area that it was completely visible, a slight haze in the air even to the untrained eye.

 **And for good reason**

That was new. And most definitely not Kurama talking to him.

 _What do you want Kaguya?_

Silence.

"I don't have time for this," the blonde muttered to himself, as he set about jumping higher and higher up the old tree, somehow easily missing the minute carvings on the branches further up. He wasn't exactly the brightest, nor the sharpest tool in the shed so he couldn't be blamed.

It was at the highest branch, where the natural energy was the most abundant, that he finally stopped and sat.

"So troublesome," he muttered to the air, faintly sure of how much like Shikamaru that sounded. In the years that he has lived, the dreams have become more and more vivid. So vivid that they may as well have been memories. A part of him believed that as true, but would later reject that thought.

After all, he never don those things… right?

 **At last**

 _What do you want now?_

 **I want nothing from you, this tree on the other hand**

Now Naruto may not exactly be the smartest, but when a swirly space distortion appeared around you then it was time to book it.

Unfortunately, the whole world had imploded inwardly rather violently before he could even form an articulate thought. Or more specifically one that was not an expletive or incoherent screaming and all the while Kaguya laughed in her prison that was his mind.

At least one of them was having fun.

* * *

Down and down he went through a blinding abyss of ephemeral colours.

Above the blinding lights was the mind numbing pain that racked his body as he felt his body rearrange itself molecule by molecule in a symphony of pain. In another life, another Naruto could sympathize as he too fell down parting through space and time.

He could only scream in pain as his form shortened a tad. His bones cracked as they rearranged themselves, muscular figure becoming less rigid, hips becoming more prominent. Far too prominent for a male figure.

As one who was familiar with the feel of having a female body, he would have immediately recognised what he was changing into. Unfortunately the blinding pain prevented that from happening as he became a she.

His… or rather her skin paled greatly from her natural tanned skin, becoming much like moonlight with how pale she had become. Her hair lengthened and reddened and darkened all at the same time, becoming black tinged with red that reached to just below her now dainty waist. The very last thing to change was his eyes. The sapphire-esque eyes became a vibrant and beautiful silver.

And with her newly acquired form, came the flux of memories.

Grimm.

The creatures the she hunted in her dreams and hunted her in her nightmares. The creatures of darkness with no souls.

Huntress and Huntsmen.

They were much like shinobi from what she could see. Taught the arts of combat and then sent out to the world to save it. But how? From such an opponent that seemed to never end in supply.

Summer Rose.

That same name kept appearing over and over in her mind.

She found herself facing a reflection of herself.

Skin as if struck by the moon light

Hair of black and red, reminding her of Kushina, her mother.

Eyes of iridescent silver

 _Is this me?_

Summer Rose.

 _Is that my name?_

* * *

It came as a shock to her when the wind began to suddenly tear at her body. Experience from repeated exposure stated that he was falling from a very high place. It wasn't long at all when she spotted the large ivory tree, standing proudly on the hill. Unfortunately, it hit her as soon as he saw it.

She hit the first branch.

And then another.

And another.

She tumbled downwards, hitting virtually every single branch on the tall dead tree. Only when the sound of crunching snow and the feeling of impact did she realize that she finally reached the ground.

Groaning in pain, she was finally faintly aware of the feminine undertones that poured from her mouth. Faintly aware that, as she subconsciously curled into a ball from the pain, instead of grasping familiar hard tones, she was met with soft yet form contours. And lastly the overlong veil of red and black obscuring her vision, he faintly recognised as hair, shifted with her movement.

As the ninja that invented the forbidden sexy jutsu, she was, after all, intimately familiar with the body of a woman, seeing as she actually transformed into one.

As she faded from consciousness, she sincerely hoped what he thought was wrong with his body was not what he thought it was. Barely giving a thought to the white cloak he pulled over his curled up form and made him feel safe.

A hooded cloak white like snow on the outside and within, red like roses.

* * *

 **END**

And there, ladies and gentlemen is it for now

Next chapter: How the hell did I get here and what the hell is going on? The what and why are explored slightly

But that's all for now, hoped you like the ooze that poured from my head

As always thanks for reading! ^.^


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:** So... that happened

Disclaimer, I do not own either Naruto, or RWBY

 **Warning:** **May contain OCs, OOCness, AU and other applicable nonsense**

 **Note** : Another chapter down, I am on a roll

 **On with the story**

* * *

Cold.

Biting and harsh.

Why was it so cold?

Limbs ached and would barely respond.

Why am I in pain?

 **Get up**

 _Kaguya?_

 **Get up or we'll both be lost in this blizzard**

Ah that was right. She fell from a really high place. And that was before she was physically restructured in a rather painful manner. She also remembered that Kaguya had something to do with it.

Pushing that thought for much later, she opened her eyes. Eyes that felt as though they were opening for the very first time, the light was blinding despite being moonlight and did not help at all. The first struggle of being in a body that was not exactly like the one you remember was reorientating one's self. So the act of opening one's eyes was significantly easier than the act of actually moving her limbs.

So instead of actually getting up, it was more of a slight crouch before a really sad tumble back to the ground.

 **This is just pathetic, you've survived far worse than this surely**

 _Well excuse me for being in pain and all of this was your fault to begin with. I don't know how, but I know it's your fault_

She chose to keep her silence as she struggled upright, using the tree next to her as a support. It took several minutes for her, which included several tries and several snowy floor to the face, but she eventually managed to get upright.

It was only then, that she was able to take stock of her situation at hand.

Firstly.

She was in the middle of a dense forest, the large tree she was next to was in a rather large clearing, with trees on all sides just a few metres away.

Secondly.

There seems to be no traces of civilization in any direction, which might require her climbing up something so that she can take stock of her situation. The closest was more than a day's worth of travel away.

Thirdly.

She finally realised the current state of her body. Now the only reason that she was not flipping her shit the moment she saw the fairly large bumps on her chest was because she has been in weirder situations. Reaching underneath the red skirt and searching about, she found no trace of evidence that she was the manly man that was Naruto Uzumaki.

Speaking of skirt, she was dressed in a rather interesting outfit. A white blouse with a red collar and a red skirt with a white trimming. Over her blouse was a black corset like garment with red lacing, which went just under her bust to her waist. This was complimented by a slightly lighter shade of black belt that bore a silver rose-like emblem, and carried an empty buckle designed to carry a sheath and multiple small symmetrical knives built for throwing. On her legs were dark red stockings as well as a pair of rather neat metallic heeled boots of red and black that seem to have a strange mechanism to them and ended just below her knee. And this was all topped off by a comfortable and warm cloak, white on the outside and red on the inside.

This, she recalled from the fragments of memories, was Summer Rose's clothing. Or would it be her clothing? She stopped that train of thought for now. It was not the best of times after all.

If Summer's memories are to be relied on, then this side of the woods was filled with multiple Grimm, Beowolves if she was to be specific. With no weapons aside from the small knives and the boots, which she did not know the function of, and the nearest civilisation being a day and half of travel away, it was fair to say that she was in a pretty bad situation.

 **If you have time to gather your thoughts, then you have time to get moving**

 _Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!_

And saw came the journey to the nearest… well anything really, was Signal. An academy if memory serves well. Yes, she could see it. Days that have gone by, with a dusty crow, a raven and a little dragon. A weird image yes, but she doubted that they were actually the creatures stated, more like terms of endearment for actual people.

Was it odd to feel so familiarly about people you did not know exist until a while ago?

Well technically, according to Summ— **her** memories, she knew them since they were put in a team together, perhaps even longer.

It was hard to tell, the memories came in fragments and told a story in a rather roundabout way that led to more questions than answers. Always something missing.

 **Less thinking more walking**

And that was without Kaguya disturbing her thoughts near constantly. Why that damnable rabbit thought it was a good idea to disturb her self-reflection was beyond her. Then again, it may be a petty way at getting back at her for the sealing and what not.

 **I am not petty**

 _And I'm not in the middle of nowhere trying to gather my thoughts_

 **Gather your thoughts? You can barely gather your feet**

And while she would never admit it, Kaguya was indeed correct. As of now, she had stumbled into twelve bushes, ran into eight trees and had tripped over nothing a countless number of times. As of now, she was in even more pain than ever before, she was cranky, memories of another person… her memories… whatever, kept slapping her in the face and all she wanted was to go home.

Home.

… _mommy, you'll come home right?_

 _I will my precious rose…_

 _You promise?_

 _I promise…_

She fell to her knees as the sudden memory hit her. She wasn't sure when the tears began to fall from her eyes, but it came as soon as the feelings of anguish and guilt came crashing on her. She… she failed her promise didn't she? Summer never returned like she promised. She never returned, the more she searched for the reason why, the more it eluded her, but one thing was for sure. She left her little girl all alone, her precious rose…

Precious rose?

An image of a little girl with a large red cloak that trailed on the ground, with eyes, hair and complexion that matched her own almost perfectly popped into her head. Just the sight of this girl invoked love the likes of which she never knew of. Maybe this was what Kushina had felt when she first held her, as Naruto, in her arms. An almost indescribable yearning washed over her through the grief.

 _Just how long had I been gone?_

Too long, a small part of her mind whispered to her. She pushed those thoughts away. She needed to find her.

 **Hmm? What is this? How adorable**

You could hear the glee from Kaguya's voice, as the rabbit witnessed the memory with her.

 **And to think she came from someone like you**

 _Screw you too_

And here she thought Kaguya might have had something nice to say for once. So much for wishful thinking.

 **Ruby Rose, an interesting one wouldn't you agree Naruto, or would you prefer Summer?**

 _Either… neither… whichever will get you off my back!_

 **My, my, how testy**

 _Fine how about a deal. You stop and I'll stop doing it_

 **Stop doing what?**

 _This_

And Kaguya was bathed in the beautiful light of youth in the form of a sunset, as two figures embraced in the mid-distance.

 **STOP! I'll stop, if you stop this… this thing right this instant**

Ah the sunset of youth, truly there was no weapon quite like it.

In all honesty, it was her only nonlethal weapon she had against Kaguya at the time. The fact that she was still unsure of who she was did not help things in the slightest. The fragments conflicted with the memories already there. Naruto's childhood kept clashing with the fragments of Summer's in a hodgepodge of thoughts and memories.

One part still believed she was Naruto and the other thought she was Summer.

The whole thing keeps giving her a headache and more than slight dysphoria, if that was the right word she was thinking of. That is not even mentioning the overall guilt brought on by the thought of leaving such a precious child without her mother for goodness knows how long.

 **My, that was a pretty big word, I'm impressed**

 _Not now… please_

… **Since you asked so nicely**

 _Thank you_

She thought that would have been harder to deal with. Kaguya on the other hand did not really care if her prison suffered physically and emotionally, but from one mother to—technically—another she couldn't watch her suffer. She too had been a mother, she too loved her children once.

 **And while you make your way to this, Signal Academy, what exactly should I call you**

 _Didn't you just call me fool earlier?_

 **If that is what you wish then I shall do so**

 _What? Wait a minute_

 **Oh? Then what do you wish for me to call you? Come, come, we don't have all day after all**

That was technically not true. They had at least another half a day's worth of travel before they reach Signal Academy.

 _Call me Summer, this is her world and her body and I might as well get used to it_

 **Summer it is**

Summer could only chuckle at that.

 **What?**

 _I didn't think that the two of us would ever talk like this_

 **Don't think so deeply about this, your survival means my own and as long as I live, my plans can still be carried out**

 _Yeah, yeah, your Moon's Eye thing, well what do you make of that?_

By 'that' she was referring to the broken moon that floated above in the night, and bathed the forest in moonlight. While the moon was technically still there, it wasn't really much. She doubted, even if Kaguya got out, the woman would be able to cast her Infinite Tsukuyomi.

 **I minor setback**

' _Minor'? The flipping moon's barely there_

 **It is enough**

"Enough my left foot," Summer murmured to herself, sure there may be times when that moon would become perfectly circular, but how long would that actually last.

Kaguya could only chuckle in amusement within her prison, at least the girl was no longer lamenting in such a dangerous area. She had more pressing matters to deal with than the memories of how long ago. Problems like that dark presence she has been sensing creeping along just out of sight. It seems that her godly presence was warding them, but it did not lessen her worries in the slightest.

As she is now, Summer was not prepared for combat as she was now, she had no sense of balance and reach. While the combat might awaken Summer's memories of combat the risks outweighed the possible gains, and the rabbit goddess preferred that no harm was to come to her prison.

Keeping this information to herself, she flared her power slightly. A miniscule amount, enough to warn the creatures of darkness to stay back, but not enough for Summer to notice.

* * *

[Konoha]

"What do you mean he's missing?"

That was the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi Hatake, speaking to one of his old students, Sakura Haruno.

Kakashi, dressed in the white robes and the hat of the Hokage, left only his upper face visible to anyone, what with his face mask covering him.

"It means what it means. I'm not explaining again. You're not old enough to be senile," Sakura replied in a clipped tone, the harshness in her answer understandable. She had scarcely slept for a week since Naruto had vanished, spent searching the wherever she could think he might have gone.

"Have you checked his room, or Ichiraku's, you know how he can get."

"I checked everywhere," Sakura slumped on the chair she sat on. "He's missing, not off training or on a mission, but officially missing."

"I see," Kakashi steepled his fingers as he leaned on his elbows in a contemplating pose. "I hope I don't have to tell you to keep this as quiet as possible."

"Yes, but what about Naruto?"

"Our nin have been spread thin, what with the peace treaty signing coming up and security preparations being made and are being undergone."

"So, you're saying we do nothing?"

"Oh not at all. All I'm saying is that when you leave this room and begin your search for Naruto, try to be as discreet as possible. Wouldn't want to cause a scene with the other villages after all."

"You got it sensei!" Sakura replied with a smile as she made to leave, before pausing at the door. "Am I going to be paid for this?"

Kakashi paused. "Technically, it is a mission, so I suppose you will be."

"Sweet, see ya," with that she walked out and made her way to her home, she had a mission to prepare for… again. "Jeez, first Sasuke, now you, how am I supposed to keep track of the both of you?"

Someone had to keep those two in line and Sakura Haruno was on the job.

Ah, but first she had to take a bath, a week of searching did not leave her a lot of time for bathing either.

* * *

 _Now this is interesting_

 **What is?**

 _That_

Summer motioned to the big castle?

 **It is hardly the largest castle you have ever seen, and I have seen far more extravagant ones in my lifetime**

… _It's not a castle_

The sense of déjà vu was killing her head. The cacophony of noise filled her thoughts as Summer's memories rushed her like an angry Ursa.

' _Welcome to Signal Academy'_

' _The name's Taiyang, nice to meet you'_

Another memory

' _Whoa is that a scythe?'_

' _Indeed it is'_

' _Who uses a scythe in this day and age?'_

And another

' _Alright team, your fearless leader declares this our first mission, time to decorate!'_

' _Summer, you're not even the leader.'_

' _Don't ruin my moment Taiyang!'_

Summer shook her head, as if attempting to physically shake the voices away. "So this is Signal."

Signal was not what she imagined. It was quite large and awfully castle like, granted it was quite a sight to see. It had fancy towers and arches to accompany it. It made the whole place a lot more like a fortified castle than an actual school. The thing that caught her attention that most however, was the tallest tower of the Academy. It was like a large lighthouse, shinning with a brilliant light. It seemed capable of illuminating anything for miles.

While she wondered around staring at the magnificent sight that was Signal Academy, she did not know she was getting a few stares herself. She easily stood out from the crowd, but then again to be fair she was a very attractive woman, her youthfulness as Naruto translated into her current body making her look just as if she was in her later teens. That, and she was not wearing the uniform for Signal Academy, making her stand out like a sore thumb even more.

Kaguya would have warned her, but rabbit was feeling spiteful at the moment, almost twelve hours of being ignored by her jailor would do that to most people. At least she got balancing on her new feet down pretty quickly, what with the change in balance and whatnot, or else she would have stood out even more.

Signal has changed quite a lot from when she, Summer, last saw it. According to her memories some place are a lot larger than they used to be or some places have been replaced with something different or were outright gone. It was like an old friend greeting her again, the memories oddly welcomed, and sometimes not as they overlapped with her vision.

 _There used to be a café there_

 **And pray tell, why is this important?**

 _We used to go there all the time after school_

Fondness tinged her thoughts as she looked at the garden where the café used to sit and saw a faint memory overtake her vision. She saw herself, much younger than she was now, and her team mates sitting in a booth by the large glass window. She saw herself chatter animatedly to a blonde dragon next to her and to the crow and the raven across, as they looked on in amusement. It was weird how she could only remember vague impressions of them. Never a face or an actual name to put in the picture, but close enough.

She sighed as the memory faded, replaced by an empty garden. Just how long had she been gone?

 **It's no use asking such questions, we can only look forwards now**

Kaguya sounded kind, almost encouraging.

 _But how? I have the memories from two different lives and all I see brings me closer to one side and I feel like I'm slowly losing it!_

 **It does feel that way against insurmountable odds does it not, but it has not stopped you before. Never have you backed down from such a thing. Not as Naruto and not as Summer, never have you faltered against an overwhelming opposition**

 _I guess… wait, you said Summer, what do you know of her?_

 **I know enough**

Summer chose to speak no further, sensing that Kaguya did not wish to talk of the subject any longer. She would let Kaguya keep her secrets for now, she did not need to pry on the age old goddess for something that she would certainly rediscover in her memories. But she was right. She did not falter against Kaguya, and she would certainly not falter now.

She had to be strong now, not just for her, but for a little girl that was no doubt missing her mom. And maybe a little bit for Kaguya, who was undoubtedly plotting her demise or something just as similar.

She was broken from her thoughts at the sound of approaching footsteps. Being the shinobi that she was, she moved slightly faster to the garden that was void of people. She weaved past the arch at the entrance before losing herself in the surprisingly vast flora. When she had adequately hidden herself behind a fairly large bush, supressing her presence, she waited for her prey(?) to appear.

And like clockwork, he walked into the clearing she wanted him to walk into. Ebony hair contrasted with milky white skin, which only emphasised his crimson eyes. Clothed in a black top, lined in silver and on top of this was a dark red, almost black mantle with matte black pauldrons with a silver trim. Along that he wore black pants, with silver lines on the sides of the legs, with dark leather boots. On his right pauldron, painted in a dull grey was a wing-like insignia with a gear design. His handsome visage while it aged with time, was not detracted by it.

His face has always been a blur in Summer's memories, but now, face to face, the blur has vanished, but even then she hesitated with a name. He looked different from how he once used to.

 _A crow…_

"Perhaps I was seeing things again," she heard him whisper morosely, sadness and regret vivid on his face.

 _Not crow. Qrow_

Without even thinking about the consequences of her actions she walked from her hiding spot. Red orbs widened at her, as their eyes met. And Qrow could say was one thing and one thing only.

"Summer?"

* * *

 **END**

Summer and Qrow encounter one another for the first time in years.

Next Chapter: Conversations with a Crow and meeting a Dragon once again. Friends and Family or what is within Patch at the moment

But that's all for now, hoped you like the ooze that poured from my head

As always thanks for reading! ^.^


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:** I'm Home

Disclaimer, I do not own either Naruto, or RWBY

 **Warning:** **May contain OCs, OOCness, AU and other applicable nonsense**

 **Note** : As many of you may know, this story will be made under the premise of a shit ton of assumptions, such as Raven being Qrow's sister and Yang's mom, and making up crap, such as the outfit for Summer's weapons and that of her teams, so please do bear with me

 **On with the story**

* * *

A thousand thoughts ran through his brain, his mind racking for any possible way to articulate his thoughts out as verbal communication. But for the life of Qrow, he could not make his mouth eloquently express his mind. The best thing he could even hope to utter was just one word.

"Summer?!"

Eloquence at its finest. But then again, what did one say to their long thought dead teammate?

"Summer?"

And now, as he stared at the same eyes that shined with the same amusement and mirth he thought that he had, at long last, finally lost his mind.

"Summer?"

"You already said that."

Sure he wasn't exactly at the prime of his youth, surely he was still a long way from hallucinating about deceased friends and comrades. But she looked so real. She still looked as beautiful as the day they last saw her.

"Qrow?"

He gasped as a hand held his cheek. She was suddenly closer than he remembered her being.

"Are you okay?"

He could say nothing. No words could ever encapsulate the way he felt as he raised his hand to hold the hand on his cheek, years of unshed tears pricking at his eyes. This was real. She was really here? The why and the how didn't matter right now. Only that she was alive.

He let his tears fall at last as he embraced her. Years of grief he had withheld from the world since he had lost the closest thing he had to a younger sister. As a veteran Huntsman, he has had many regrets, had made many mistakes. Never going on that missions with Summer was one of the greatest, second only to never discovering where his sister had vanished to.

"It's really you, isn't it?" his voice a hoarse whisper as his tears ebbed. Releasing her from his embrace, he looked at her.

"I…" her smile faltered as she hesitated.

"Summer?" Qrow sounded worried.

 _Why am I hesitating, I am Summer right?_

"… I…"

 _Am I really Summer Rose or is this just a mistake, just Naruto Uzumaki with a wrong set of memories and body?_

"Summer." he sounded scared, not for himself, but for her and she could barely hear him.

 _Who am I?_

"Summer!" Qrow's yelling finally knocked her out of her thoughts.

She was finally aware the she had fallen on her knees, head grasped tightly in her hands, looking as if she was about to have a break down. Looking up from her view of the ground, she saw Qrow kneeling in front of her, his hands grasping her shoulders. He looked apprehensive, his red eyes fret with concern.

"Summer, what's wrong?"

This time, it was her turn to cry. Grasping unto Qrow like he was a lifeline she cried. "I don't know. Everything in my head is just one big mess right now. My memories are all jumbled and I can't even tell who I am anymore."

There was a small pause.

"Qrow please, who am I?" she whispered as she raised her head, desperate for an answer she did not know the answer to.

Qrow however was resolute. He had felt her Aura as she walked out of those bushes and it was not something she would likely mistake or faked, it was part of your soul after all, and this soul was one he had spent years with, something he would never forget. He looked at her for what felt like forever, before he stood up and offered his hand to her. "You are Summer Rose."

He said it with such surety that even she felt compelled to believe him. So she decided that she will, at least for now.

"Okay," Summer said, grasping Qrow's hand and allowing him to help her up.

The huntsman smiled gently before his smiled dropped slightly in uncertainty. "We need to tell Taiyang about this."

Taiyang Xiao Long.

She could feel happiness at the mere mention of his name. An overwhelming longing and love, enough to match that she felt for Ruby.

Accompanying that name was another.

Yang Xiao Long.

No less love felt as she remembered the name.

She felt the same love and adoration she had for Ruby, extend to these two names. That's why she hesitated in asking her question.

"Qrow, who is Taiyang?"

Qrow looked as if he was struck physically by the question. He expected something wrong with her memories, but hearing that only made the problems all too real. He did not know how to skirt around this potentially touchy subject, to be fair he doubted anyone would, so he stated it as directly as possible.

"Taiyang is your husband."

* * *

A particularly expensive set wine glasses hit the metal walls. This was followed by the glass table the wine glasses sat on and several other very expensive artifacts. The poorly illuminated room was trashed further as more and more furniture was tossed across the room and into the iron walls of the room, breaking into pieces on impact. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the person that would have to clean that mess up, the person had ran out of things to throw. Sadly this amounted to pretty much every item

In the middle of it all paced a very furious Cinder Fall.

Black hair swayed dangerously as she walked and amber eyes glared balefully at whatever her eyes met. Dressed in a red off the shoulders mini-dress with gold yellow designs, with a blue feather-like accessory on her right hip, right above the open portion of the dress, which ends in an upside down triangle. On the upper-back of the dress was an opening that was roughly triangular with her tattooed symbol visible within. The sleeves of the dress had the golden design running down the arms, ending in a golden wreathed wrist and ended in a triangle that wrapped on her middle finger. Under this dress, she wore black shorts as well as a matching coloured choker, a gold hooped earing on each ear that had a black gem dangling from them and matching those was a jewelled anklet on her right leg.

What really stood out however, was the clinking noises brought by the dark glass high heeled shoes she wore.

Her anger was so severe, that her Aura flared like fire, heating the room to stifling levels, the golden designs on her dress glowing brilliantly as her eyes, as she left a trail of heeled shoe prints glowing red on the metal floor, leaving slight indentations in her wake.

"Damn that woman," she hissed darkly, her Aura lashed out even more, melting a portion of the metal walls and quite a bit of the broken furniture and severely melting the floor immediate to her. Whatever items that were once salvageable, were now in ashes.

"Cinder, what's wrong," Emerald cried out in alarm as she barged into the room, having heard the furniture breaking and felt the fluctuating Aura. She was followed by Mercury, who was more curious than alarmed.

"What happened here?" Mercury asked curiously gazing at the ruined, well everything really. "What's got you all worked up?"

"An old headache has popped up, it would seem." Cinder muttered darkly, her Aura making her hair wave gently in the air and her eyes glow brighter.

"Do you want us to take care of it," Emerald asked curiously, she had never seen Cinder in such a mood.

"No!" Cinder shouted at the two, causing them to flinch. "I will deal with this in my own way. You and Mercury will not interfere."

They were both shocked silent by the normally collected Cinder. Cinder mistaking the silence, spoke again, her intentions as naked as any blade.

"Am I understood?"

"Yes," they replied simultaneously. It was all they could do under the burning amber gaze of Cinder Fall.

"Good. Now leave, I have planning to do."

Not waiting for a written invitation, the two of them walked away, shaken greatly by the Cinder they had witnessed.

"Man, what do you think's eating at her?" Mercury asked his partner, an easy going smile on his face to hide how dazed and quite certainly how frightened he was just now.

"I don't know, but it's probably something big." Emerald replied shakily, a drop of sweat falling down the side of her face, which was followed by more.

Whoever angered Cinder that much, was in for a hell of a day when she comes for them.

"It seems my rose is still in bloom," she muttered, conjuring a dark glass rose in her hand, as her Aura died down once more. "Just what do you think you are doing Summer?"

Signal Academy, it seemed she was once more with her friend and family. On one hand it would be more than dangerous to go through the guarded academy filled with Huntsmen and women with varying levels of skill without anyone noticing. On the other, the emotional Summer would be more than easily manipulated at this point.

Making up her mind, she walked out of the room, glass rose clutched tightly in hand.

It seems that unforeseen events are forcing her hand.

But it mattered not.

In the end it will all fall into place just when she wanted them to.

… _Like clockwork_

* * *

The sudden realisation of the fact that you are married hits one like a train. Made even worse by the uncertainty in her mind and memories

She was a guy just two days ago, yet somehow knowing she was married to someone named Taiyang felt… right. There was no other word for it other than that. A part of her cringes slightly, but another accepts this as the truth wholeheartedly.

Qrow had disappeared after he had left her in the room that she suspected was his office, if his name on the door written in capital letters and in bold was any indication. _Gone to get Taiyang no doubt_ , she mused, trying to quell the rising beat of her heart, or the excitement that seemed to bubble up her throat and out into a nervous laugh.

Trying to calm her nerves, she walked around and began exploring Qrow's office, trying to release the excess energy this brought out.

It was a fairly large room, decorated with various artifacts from a lifetime of being a Huntsman. Opposite the door of the office was a solid desk, a dark mahogany with a smooth surface and on top laid paper work arranged neatly into small stacks and a framed photo. To the left of this was a large window that encompassed essentially the entire wall and on the right was a wall filled with many decorations. Mounted on wall was various types of weaponry, which Summer presumed were his old weapons and various framed pictures.

There were many photos, some were slightly faded and were tattered and some looked as if they were recent. The photo that stood out the most, was the lone photograph that stood on Qrow's desk. Curiously she picked it up for a closer look.

It was an old photograph, but obviously well taken care of. Within was Qrow, looking younger than he was now, standing with his arms crossed in the same clothing minus the mantle. Standing next to him, was someone that could be his sister, and perhaps she was, dressed in an armour she could only describe as samurai-esque, smiling at the camera with an arm over the shoulder of someone she instantly recognise. It was her, Summer. She was smiling at the camera with a wide grin on her face both hands out in peace signs. She was about to move to the last person on the picture, when she heard the approaching footsteps stop at the door.

Hurriedly, she put the framed picture back where it was and looked at the door, resisting the urge to check of her appearance were fine or if she smelt weirdly. Before the footsteps had ended, she heard two distinct footsteps, and it was as if they could not move any faster. And now they seemed to be loitering just outside as if they were taunting her on purpose.

 **Why so nervous?**

 _Seriously? You're asking why. Are you kidding right now?_

 **As much as your anxieties amuse me you better pull yourself together, it is unbecoming of my representative to look so frail**

 _What do you think I've been trying to do?_

 **As a guess, I would say trying not to throw up**

 _Well that too, but I can't help it, all my thoughts keeps going back to negatives, like what if he doesn't believe, or what if he hates me for never returning?_

 **There is no using asking 'what if's', you have to find out for yourself, no use dwelling in uncertainty**

 _Not exactly helping_

 **In this kind of situation, not much can, but know that I will be here for you regardless of whatever outcome. I don't particularly have much of a choice after all**

 _Hehe, thanks Kaguya_

The door opened and two people walked in.

* * *

Now when Qrow first told him that they needed to talk, he thought that with his friend's face set in such a serious grimace, that it was something important. Of course when the obviously taboo subject about Summer Rose, his wife, was broached, things got rather touchy to say the least.

"Do you think this is a joke?!" Taiyang yelled as he clocked Qrow in the face, loosening a tooth with the force of the blow despite Qrow's Aura.

"Just listen to me!" Qrow replied as he tried to ignore the pain in his head, at his wits end with trying to figure out how to break through to his decidedly stubborn friend. Understandable given that this man was Summer's husband.

Taiyang was only slightly taller than his friend, with a slightly spiky mop of blond hair on his head. His lilac eyes matching his slightly pale complexion. He was dressed in a tan suit jacket and a yellow button-up shirt and dark grey formal pants. Along this he wore leather boots that ended just below his knees and black fingerless gloves with metal caps on the knuckles. Around his neck was a red scarf, the ends of which trailed just past his lower back, a last gift he had received from Summer.

Suffice to say, voices were raised. Fists were exchanged and wounds from a long time ago were laid open once again. After all Summer had always been the centre of their team, even if she wasn't their leader. She cheered them up when they were down, kicked their butts when they needed a push forward and cared for them as if they were the most precious in the whole world. And they in turn loved her with a love that surpassed her own. Taiyang, Qrow, even Raven. One might go far as to say that all three of them were all in love with her. That was why it came as a great surprise to everyone when Raven was found out to be pregnant with Taiyang's daughter, when the two of them were completely enamoured with Summer.

Hence the why argument got more heated than in needed to be.

"You think just because she chose you, she means any less to me?!" Qrow sent a wild hook at Taiyang, sloppy for an experienced Huntsman, but given his current state understandable, but it still packed enough power to knock Taiyang back. "You already chose Raven, but she wasn't good enough was she?!"

"You've always been jealous of me and her, you and your damned sister who abandoned Yang!" Taiyang yelled back, blatantly forgetting the fact that he and Raven had Yang, as he sent his own punch, his superior strength sending Qrow reeling.

"Who was it that allowed her to leave by herself on that mission?!"

"You know who, you know very well!"

 _It was both of them._

It didn't need to be said out loud. They slumped from their combat stances as they remembered that single irrefutable fact. None of them had been there to support her for a ridiculously vague mission. Raven was already goodness knows where, but neither of them had gone with her, even as she walked out the door with a forlorn expression.

Both were scuffed from their little scuffle, more than a couple of bruises on each of them. Qrow now had a busted lip and Taiyang was sporting a black eye. Ordinarily, their Aura would have shielded them from these types of injuries, but they were not veteran Huntsmen for nothing.

"Taiyang," Qrow muttered tiredly. "You know I would never joke about something like this. They never found her body and her Aura felt just like her, just like our Summer. Just, please… talk to her. She's as lost as we are, probably more so."

Taiyang looked as if he had aged in the span of a couple of seconds, as he steeled himself to whatever fate has in store for him. "Ok, I'll go."

"Good," Qrow muttered, a small smile on his face, which faded slightly. "There's just one thing you need to know."

"Oh what else could it be, nothing else could be more wrong than this?"

"I'll tell you, but only if you promise not to lose it."

"Fine, fine, just tell me already."

"Her memory's a mess and she barely remembers anyone."

"I… I see." Taiyang muttered, looking dejected at the implication.

"Don't worry," Qrow said, placing a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder. "She remembered me pretty quickly, so I doubt she'll take too long with remembering you."

That put a slight smile on Taiyang's face. Of course this was Qrow lying, but he doubted anything else would put his friend's mind at ease. She had confessed in remembering only Qrow's name, and something about scythes, but nothing more in depth than that. But he did hope that she will remember Taiyang, even if it is just a handful of memories.

"Now let's not keep her waiting." Qrow said, as he began the trek back to his office.

"You know, for someone that used to go on missions all the time, you hit like a girl," Taiyang said to his old comrade as he walked by his side, a teasing smile on his face. His banter a way disguising his unease while they walked through the crowded halls of Signal.

"And your daughter Yang hits harder than you." Qrow replied, helping to lighten the mood.

"What can I say, she takes after me you know!"

"Oh dear, I worry for her future then," Qrow replied smoothly.

"Oh ha ha," Taiyang replied dryly. His cheer died down a bit in the face of the door that had Qrow's name on the front. The entrance of Qrow's office looked more intimidating than the first time he had been sent to the principal's office for destruction of school property.

"Are—are you fixing your hair?" Qrow's mystified and amused voice cut through his thoughts

"What? Don't judge me." Taiyang replied irritatedly

"I am doing no such thing."

"It's only natural that I should fix myself, I look like a mess."

"Of course."

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that I might actually be meeting Summer again, if it really is her inside this room."

"Indeed. Now are you going to open the door, or shall I."

"No, no I'll do it." Taiyang replied uncertainly, finally done fixing his clothing and hair, not bothering with the bruising on his eye, not that the black eye will go away for a while. "Just let me… let me think for a moment…"

A pause. A really long pause.

Qrow cleared his throat.

"I'm just gathering my thoughts, I'm gonna open it."

"I believe you. But sometime today perhaps."

Taiyang took a deep breath.

The door open and they walked in.

* * *

In her life, both as Naruto and from what she could tell as Summer, there has been few times when emotion overcame reality and time felt as if it was frozen.

Taiyang was shocked silent, his face impassive as he beheld the woman before him. His eyes misted over with grief, anger, even hope before it was quashed by the discipline only a veteran Huntsman could muster.

"T-Taiyang," Summer could only whisper, frozen in place as her memories assaulted her mind, her gaze lowering from his eyes as she wrung her hands nervously.

She stared at his apprehensively as he approached her, she expected a lot of reactions from him. Anger, for leaving him and their daughters all alone. She expected him to reject her, believing that she had abandoned them. For all they knew she was dead, yet here she was alive. Assumptions can be drawn, even if all she saw of herself in her fragmented memories, was a kind and loving person.

It was driving her mad how she could not feel anything from him, even her ability to sense emphatically as Naruto was not working.

She closed her eyes shut as he stood before her, tears welling at the edge of her eyes, unable to look at the at Taiyang in his eyes. Was is shame that made her avert her gaze? Sadness? Whatever it was, she did not expect his reaction.

She did not expect his warm embrace, filling her heart and soul with love.

'This presences, this absolute warmth. This sensation that only Summer could invoke' he thought to himself.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you,"

And just like that all apprehension melted away from her body as her unfounded fears were discarded by his words. In the end, all she can do is cry, not of sadness, but in happiness in reuniting with the one that held her so tightly.

She was home.

* * *

 **END**

Have to admit, slightly uncertain about how I fleshed out the characters and their reactions, but here they are. Might have made the reunion between husband and wife a little short, but hey less is more… right? Summer is reunited with Taiyang and Qrow and Cinder, what exactly is her connection and how did she know before Qrow or Taiyang?

Next Chapter: Old weapons and traveling to Beacon

That's all for now, hoped you like the ooze that poured from my head

And as always thanks for reading! ^.^


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